No medical pardon for Va. inmate

RICHMOND, Va. — State officials have rejected a medical pardon request from an inmate with heart problems.

Jason C. Smallwood’s mother, Janice Vaughan of Portsmouth, tells the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office notified her Tuesday that Smallwood isn’t eligible for medical clemency.

The newspaper reports that surgeons have twice implanted a heart pump in the 27-year-old inmate’s chest. He is back in the hospital because of an infection and could face another implant. Since going to prison in 2007, he has had several open-heart surgeries.

A spokesman for Gov. Bob McDonnell says Smallwood’s case didn’t meet the requirement for two doctors to determine that life expectancy is 90 days or fewer.

Smallwood is an inmate at the Powhatan Correctional Center. His request for a conditional pardon is pending.